Cover fastening means



June 10, 1952 H, M, BADGER 2,599,527

COVER FASTENING MEANS Filed May 21, 1947 3.2 5/ 6 33 T 3/ r ,l ,4 r

3mm HAPPY MBADGER' Patented June 10, 1952 UNITED STATES A 2,599,527 ENT OFFICE" COVER FASTENING MEANS Harry.M. Badger, New Britain, Connl, assignor to Landers, Frary & Clark, New Britain, Conn, a corporation of Connecticut Application May 21, 1947,"Serial No. 749,417

" 3 Claims. (01. 220- 57) The present invention relates to cover fasten.- ing means for containers, and more particularly to a quicklyand easily engageable and disengageable cover fastening means for containers which is constructed and arranged'to provide attensioned resilient connection between the cover and the container thereby assuring an effective fluid seal therebetween. While the construction of the present invention is one of general utility, it is particularly applicable to portable beverage containers of the Thermos type frequentlyutilized by airlines for passenger service. i

It is an object of the present invention to provide a coverfastening means for containers which will effect a fluid-tight sealbetween the cover and the container thereby preventing loss of fluid even when the container is shaken or pivoted.

A further object of the invention is to provide a means for effecting such a fluid-tight seal1between the cover and the container which will permit greater latitude inthe use of gaskets of variable thickness and. which. permits greater manufacturing tolerances.

A more particular object of the invention is to provide a cover fastening arrangement whereby the cover is resiliently held in place by means adapted to place the seal under pressure and which is arranged so as-to provide an effective seal whether heavy or thin gaskets are utilized. Y

A further. object of theinvention is to accomplish the first named aim with a fastening means which is simple and easy to engage and disengage and which employs a minimum of manually manipulated members so that the normal usage of the container is not hindered in any way and does not require unusualstrength or long. periods of time to operate. a i i A further object of the invention is to provide a construction of the character referred to which is economical and convenient to manufacture and assemble and one which will be sufliciently rugged to be free from breakage'and malfunctioning over long periods of use. 7 i i Qther objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, (combination of elements and. arrangement of parts-which will be exemplified in the construction hereafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will beindicated in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a top view of a container with the cover in place,said container and cover embody;- ing the cover fastening means of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a partial side view of the construction; and i Fig. .3 'is a fragmentary cross sectional. view taken along the line 3--3of Fig. 1. i

. i i i 2 7 Referring tothe drawing, the coverfastening means of the present invention is sh'own'embodied in a generally rectangular portable beverage container lU of atype widely utilized by airlines for transportingcoifee and thelike. The container lll isprovided with an outlet faucet l I at the bottom thereof and is formed with a rectangular filleropening I2 at the top defined by the downwardly extending or turned in flange [3 around the periphery thereof. I

The cover [4 is also rectangular in shape and is provided with a downwardly extending center portion [5 adaptedtobe receivedwithin. the filler opening 12. The cover 14 is flanged outwardly at l6 so as to overlie a resilient gasket I1 which, f or example, may be formed of rubber extending around the periphery of the openin I2. The cover [4 is provided witha centrally located pivoted handle 18 by means of which the cover may.

be lifted from the opening or replaced thereon.

The cover I4 is held in place, in accordance with the invention, by fastening means adjacent each ofthe corners of the cover utilizing a plurality of flexible shafts 20. In the preferred embodiment the shafts 20 are formed of spring steel so as to provide a high degree of resiliency and flexibility. l

The construction at either end of the cover I4 is the same and therefore, in the interestsof brevity and simplicity of presentation, the construction at only one end has been shown in detail. Each shaft 20 is received in a cylindrical passageway 2| extending. transversely through the-cover: l4 and the diameter of the passageway 2! is greater than the diameter of the shaft 20. For convenience of fabrication and assembly, each shaft 20 may be formed of two interlocking portions 22 and 23 which'are pinned at the centerto a tongue 24 which serves as a handle for turning the shaft 20. The top of the cover. I4 is provided with depressed areas 26 to accommodate the handles 24.

The passageways 2! are deformed intermediate their ends at 521 and 28 to form raised bearing surfaces for the shafts 20 which rotatably position the shafts along the top of the passageways 2! and provide sufficient space for the downward flexing of the ends of the shafts 20, as shown in Fig. 3 and? as explained more fully hereinafter. I Q

Pivotally secured to the container l0 adjacent the ends of the shafts 20 by means of brackets 30 are a plurality of bails 3| which, when the shafts 20 areturned through approximately a half revolution by means of handles 24 from the position shown in the drawing, may be readily flipped over'the endsof the shafts to the position shown in the drawing, or may be readily disengaged therefrom. .The ends of the shafts 2|] are formed with eccentric extensions 32 which, when the shafts are turned to the position shown in the drawing by means of the handles 24, places the bails 3| under tension suflicient to flex the ends of the shafts 20 downwardly as shown in Fig. 3. The eccentric extensions 32 are also provided with a radial projection 33 for preventing the bails 3| from slipping off the ends of the eccentric extensions 32 when under tension.

The operation of the fastening means of the present invention is relatively simple and requires little time or effort. When it is desired to remove the cover M from the container I0, the handles 24 are quickly turned inwardly to a position slightly less than 180 from that shown in the drawing, which turns the eccentric extensions 32 and the radial projections 33 so as to remove the tension from the bails 3i and to permit the bails to be easily flipped off the ends of the extensions 32. Thereupon, the cover l4 may be readily removed from the container as by gasping the handle l8 thereon. When the cover I4 is replaced in position on the container ID, the bails are again flipped over the ends of the extensions 32 and the shafts are returned to the rotated position shown in the drawing by turning the handles 24 to the outwardly extending position shown in the drawing. Immediately upon this happening, the bails 3| are brought under tension by the eccentric extensions 32 which is sufficient to flex the ends of the shafts 20 downwardly as illustrated in Fig. 3. The resultant pressure between the cover l4 and container l acting upon the intermediate resilient gasket I! insures a fluid-tight seal between these members.

It thus will be seen that there has been provided, in accordance with the invention, a cover fastening means for containers, such as beverage containers, which is simple and easy to operate and which provides a fluid-tight seal between the cover and container at all times. The above-described arrangement gives greater latitude in the use of gaskets of variable'thickness and permits greater manufacturing tolerances so that the gasket will seal at all times irrespective of gasket thickness within normal manufacturing tolerance ranges. In the event a heavy gasket is used, the arrangement for placing the gasket under pressure is such as to permit the operator to secure the cover with a mini mum of effort and, in the event a thin gasket-is utilized, a tight gasket seal is assured.

By reason of the fact that the operating latch or handle on each end of the container cover looks or seals the gasket at that end of the container, a minimum of two handles is required to be manipulated in order to lock the four corners of the container as compared with the use of four operating handles which normally would be required to obtain such a locking action.

At the same time, the arrangement is of simple and economical construction so that the cover fastening means may be easily and economically manufactured and assembled. Moreover, none of the parts are susceptible to breakage under normal operating conditions so that a long useful life without need for replacement or repair is assured.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim as my invention:

1. Cover fastening means for containers having an opening therein and a removable cover member for closing said opening, comprising a highly flexible shaft journaled on the cover intermediate its ends with the ends extending outwardly from the cover member and spaced laterally from the cover so as to permit the ends of the shaft to be flexed toward the cover, a plurality of bails pivotally mounted on the container for movement to and from engaging position about the ends of the shaft, means for turning the shaft, said extending ends of the shaft being eccentrically formed so as to permit said bails to be easily engaged and disengaged from the ends of the shaft when the shaft is in one rotated position and having a surface sufficiently offset from the axis of the shaft to place the engaged bails under suflicient tension to cause deflection of the ends of the shaft toward the cover when the shaft is turned to a second rotated position, and a radial projection on each end of the shaft for preventing disengagement of the bails when the shaft is turned to said second rotated position, said flexible shaft and bails forming a resilient fastening for the cover.

2. Cover fastening means for containers having an opening therein and a cover for said opening, comprising means in the cover forming a transverse generally cylindrical passageway, a flexible shaft of smaller diameter than said passageway positioned within said passageway with its ends extending outwardly therefrom, said passageway being deformed intermediate its ends td rotatably support the central portion of the shaft adjacent the top of the passageway and to provide a clearance between the ends of the shaft and the bottom of the passageway to per-mit flexing of the shaft, a handle for turning the shaft, and a plurality of connecting means secured to the container and adapted to be moved into and out of engagement with the ends of the shaft, said ends of the shaft being formed with an offset camming surface adapted to engage the connecting means and constructed and arranged so as to place said connecting means under sufficient tension to flex the shafts when the shafts are turned to a predetermined rotated position.

3. Cover fastening means for containers having an opening therein, a removable cover for said opening, and a resilient gasket between the cover and the periphery of the opening, comprising means in the cover forming a transverse passageway therethrough, a flexible shaft of smaller diameter than said passageway positioned within said passageway with its ends extending outwardly therefrom, said passageway being deformed adjacent the center of the shaft and spaced from its ends to provide bearing surfaces positioning the outer portion of the shaft adjacent the top of the passageway and providing a clearance between the ends of the shaft and the bottom of the passageway to permit downward flexing of the ends of the shaft, a handle fixed to the shaft intermediate its ends for turning same, said cover being provided with an opening extending into said passageway to receive said handle, a plurality of bails pivotally secured to the container and adapted to be pivoted over the ends of the shaft, said ends of the shaft being formed with offset cam surfaces constructed and arranged so as to permit said bails to be easily engaged and disengaged from the ends of the shaft when the shaft is in one rotated position and for placing the engaged bails under sufficient tension to flex the shaft when the shaft is turned to a second rotated position, and a radial projecgtion on each end of the shaft to prevent disengagement of the bails when the shaft is in said second rotated position.

HARRY M. BADGER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 255,263 Fairlamb Mar. 2 1, 1882 266,564 Ward Oct. 24, 1882 398,539 Rock Feb. 26, 1889 610,720 Peacock Sept. 13, 1898 1,108,765 Lawless Aug. 25, 1914 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 602,086 France Dec. 18, 1925 801,862' France Mar. 30, 1936 

